Technical Data

The Ice Control Structure runs parallel to the Champlain Bridge about 1,000 feet (305 m) upstream of the bridge. It is 6,700 feet (2,043 m) long and extends west-east between Nuns’ Island and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

It is made up of 72 concrete piers and two abutments resting on rock. The floating booms or stop logs that held back the ice in the 88-foot (27-m) spans originally could be moved up and down in heated grooves in the piers.

The three 175-foot (53-m) spans over the deep-water channel were equipped with booms that floated with the current. They were retained to the piers and could be detached in the spring to allow an ice evacuation channel to form.

The top of the structure is a bridge made of prestressed girders and a concrete deck, and supported the machinery that manoeuvred the booms. In spring, the 88-foot (27-m) booms were stored on specially designed supports on the piers.

Length of bridge: 2,040 m

Width of deck: 8.5 m

Total Width: 18 m

Number of piers: 72

Dimensions of piles of 10.5 m in height:

4 of 5 m in width x 19.5 m in length

68 of 3.7 m in width x 16 m in length

Height of caissons under the piles: from 2 m to 8.5 m

Water depth: varies from 2 to 10 m

Beams and floating floodgates between piles: 1.5 m in height

Length of the approaches:

West side: 450 m

East side: 431 m

CONSTRUCTION COST

In 1965, it cost approximately $18,000,000 to build the Ice Control Structure.